Do you see the signs?
by liatli-1228
Summary: Colin, Bright, Ephram, and Amy in college and after. (C.B eventually) almost there, yall!
1. Default Chapter

Title: Author: Liatli Disclaimer: I want Bright. Summary: future fic. Colin, Ephram, Amy, and Bright in college (about 21 yrs old- legal drinking age, at least) A/N: Oh, man, thank you guys SOOOOO much for the feedback! I LOVE it! I'm so insecure about my writing (owe it all to my bitch English teacher! Damn that old hag). I love it and I love you!!! **smooches!!!**  
  
Part 1  
  
"Ka-CHING!!!"  
  
Bright rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth,  
  
"I hate it when you do that."  
  
Colin looked at Bright innocently. After all these years, he was still able to pull off the "coma-boy" look. Bright shook his head. He knew Colin was anything but innocent. In fact, no one in their little gang was innocent any longer. I guess it came from living in New York. Whatever it was, Bright was grateful for it. It flushed out what was left in them of Everwood. Bright's mood immediately darkened when Everwood popped into his mind. He didn't particularly care for Everwood anymore. It had been fine up until he had gotten to be about 17. Then, Everwood had stopped being the charming little town nestled between the mountains with the perfect views, the perfect people, the perfect life. He felt stifled. Everwood was too small for Bright Abbot. Not in a sense of physical capacity, but of mental capacity. Of emotional capacity. Small town people.just small towns in general weren't Bright's style. He had always pictured himself living in Everwood forever. But Bright was eternally grateful for the basketball scholarship that had helped him haul his ass out of the little hamlet in Colorado. Off to the big city. The big apple, if you will. Bright loved New York. Couldn't get enough of it. The dorm suite he, Colin, and Ephram shared in the building their Fraternity occupied at NYU was perfect. The city was perfect. His relationships with his roommates were perfect. His girlfriend was perfect.  
  
Surprisingly, and some would say inevitably, shortly before graduation Bright and Ephram had settled their differences. Colin had realized, after his second surgery, that life was too short to waste and that, while he did love Amy, it was more of a brotherly love than a romantic love. Very soon after Colin and Amy's breakup, Amy and Ephram had started to date.  
  
Ephram and Amy still were together, now, around 6 or 7 years later. In fact, they were engaged. Colin was still busy flitting from girl to girl. His current victim was a nice girl from Boston named Shirley. Bright had been dating a girl for a few months now. Her name was Colleen. She was beautiful. Long, platinum blonde hair and pale blue eyes, a smattering of freckles across her nose, and a tall, athletic frame. She was smart, Valedictorian of her class in high school. She was funny, results of her father being a stand-up comedian. Bright didn't know what was wrong with him. They had been dating for a while now, he knew she felt deeply for him.he just didn't feel more for her than slight affection. Enough to keep dating her, of course. But not enough to show excessive amounts of affection. She just thought he had a hard time showing his feelings. Colin thought he was going blind. Ephram.didn't really care. Amy figured maybe they didn't have the right chemistry. Bright agreed with Amy. Bright didn't know what he was going to do about Colleen. He felt bad, leading her on this way when he knew they had no future.  
  
"Earth to Bright!"  
  
Bright shook himself mentally as he came back to attention. Colin was waving his hand in front of Bright's face annoyingly and Bright grabbed Colin's wrist. He said, a half smile on his face,  
  
"I'm back, Colin. Quit it."  
  
Colin grinned and tossed Bright the basketball he had been dribbling while waiting for Bright to stop daydreaming. Bright knocked it away, released Colin's wrist, and began to walk towards the dorms. Frowning, Colin rushed after Bright. He said,  
  
"Hey! What about the game?"  
  
Bright shook his head,  
  
"I forfeit. You win every time, anyway."  
  
Colin grinned cockily and said, his chest puffing out,  
  
"Yeah, well. Can't help it. It's just something I was born with."  
  
Grinning now, Bright rolled his eyes. As they entered the room the phone began to ring. Bright picked up the phone,  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hello, is Colin there?"  
  
Turning around, Bright found that Colin had abandoned the room. He called out,  
  
"Colin?"  
  
No answer. Shrugging, Bright said,  
  
"Sorry, can't find him. Can I take a message or something?"  
  
"Naw.I'll call back later."  
  
Bright raised an eyebrow,  
  
"You want me to tell him who called?"  
  
"Nah. Thanks, though. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Just as Bright hung up the phone Colin walked in, dragging a towel behind him.  
  
"I'm gonna hit the showers, man."  
  
Bright nodded, flopped back onto his bed, and spread his arms out. He shook his head and called out,  
  
"Try not to scare off the freshmen in there, C!"  
  
Bright heard Colin laugh. Smiling, Bright dozed off.  
  
* * *  
  
Bright paused outside the door. Colin was talking to someone, obviously on the phone.  
  
"-Me too.really? If they want to know, you can tell them.No, I haven't told them yet.I will! I promise. Just, give me some time, okay?.I swear.okay.yeah, me too."  
  
When Bright heard the click of the phone being set back on the base, he walked in. Colin turned when he heard the footsteps. Bright walked in, a slight smile on his face, only a towel slung low on his hips. He said, sitting next to Colin on his bed,  
  
"So, who was that?"  
  
Colin shrugged and he said,  
  
"A friend. He's the one that called two days ago, when I was out of the room."  
  
"Ah. The mysterious one who wouldn't leave his name."  
  
Colin laughed,  
  
"His name's Shawn."  
  
* * *  
  
Amy danced into the room. She was smiling widely, her face bright. She said happily,  
  
"We set a date! The weekend of July 25th. About a month and a half after graduation."  
  
She clasped her hands to her heart and Bright couldn't help but smile. She was glowing. Ephram walked in after her, smiling happily, himself. He slipped an arm about Amy's waist and nuzzled the side of her neck. Giggling, she whirled around, threw her arms around Ephram's neck, and kissed Ephram. Bright feigned disgust and said,  
  
"Eew! Get a room, guys."  
  
Amy laughed and said,  
  
"Get a life, Bright." She turned, "So, broke it off with Colleen, huh?"  
  
Bright sighed and mumbled,  
  
"Uh, yeah."  
  
Amy sighed and smiled,  
  
"Good. Hey, Bright, there's nothing wrong with you, hun. Maybe she's just not your type or something."  
  
"Yeah, I guess. She wasn't very happy."  
  
Amy and Ephram laughed.  
  
"She'll live."  
  
Satisfied, Amy turned back to Ephram. She said softly, batting her eyelashes,  
  
"Carla's out of town.I have my dorm room to myself this week."  
  
Ephram laughed and called as they exited the room,  
  
"Later, Abbot."  
  
Bright rolled his eyes, smiling. Just then, the phone rang. He picked it up,  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Uh.Colin there?"  
  
"Nope. You just missed him. Wanna leave a message, Shawn?"  
  
A shocked silence settled over the phone. After a minute, Shawn said unsteadily,  
  
"He.told you?"  
  
"Told me our name? Yeah. Is that a problem, dude?"  
  
"No! No, I just.never mind. Well, just.tell Colin I called, okay?"  
  
Bright nodded,  
  
"Sure thing, man."  
  
He wrote Shawn's name on a pad of paper by the phone and drew a big 'C' next to it then doodled a picture of a telephone on the other side of Shawn's name. Shawn said,  
  
"Well, bye, then."  
  
"Later."  
  
* * *  
  
Colin was lying on his bed reading a book and Bright was listening to a CD with headphone when a knock sounded on the door. Colin shouted,  
  
"It's open!"  
  
The door opened and Danny, one of the guys across the hall, poked his head in. he said,  
  
"Yo, Hart, I found someone wandering around lookin for ya."  
  
Colin sat up and Bright removed his headphones. Danny pushed the door all the way open to reveal a tall guy with slightly curled strawberry-blonde hair and puzzled light blue eyes. When he saw Colin, the puzzlement vanished from his eyes and he took a step forwards, then hesitated. Colin smiled widely and motioned for the guy to enter. Colin called to Danny,  
  
"Hey, thanks, Dan."  
  
Danny nodded,  
  
"No prob., bro."  
  
Danny left and the guy walked in. Colin hopped up and shut the door, then led the guy to sit on his bed. Colin turned to Bright, who was staring at the guy, and said,  
  
"Bright, this is Shawn. Shawn, my best friend, Bright."  
  
Smiling, Shawn stood up to shake Bright's hand. Bright placed his hand in Shawn's and shook lightly, and then Shawn sat back down. He looked at Colin and said,  
  
"Sorry, I couldn't find the building first, then I realized I didn't know your room number, so I was asking around downstairs. I figured someone would help me."  
  
Colin grinned,  
  
"I'm glad you visited."  
  
Shawn smiled back, relaxing a bit. He said,  
  
"I only came by for a moment, 'cause I've gotta be at Perry's in about 15 minutes."  
  
"Perry? Oh, right. Your brother."  
  
Shawn nodded and said, a hand resting on Colin's forearm,  
  
"Well, I just wanted to say hi, so I'm going to go." He lowered his voice and said, "Charlie's at 7?"  
  
Colin nodded, smiling, then stood up to walk Shawn to the door. At the door, Shawn took a step towards Colin, then glanced at Bright, sighed, and stepped back. He opened the door, smiled briefly at Bright, then at Colin, and left. Colin closed the door behind Shawn and said,  
  
"So. You met Shawn."  
  
Bright responded,  
  
"Yep, I met Shawn. Colin-"  
  
"I know what you're gonna say."  
  
"No, I don't think you do."  
  
"Yes, Bright, I do. So, he resembles you a bit."  
  
Bright snorted,  
  
"A bit, Colin?"  
  
Colin shrugged, blushing,  
  
"So, he resembles you a lot. It's just a coincidence, man."  
  
Now was Bright's turn to flush.  
  
"I know, it's just.a little weird, is all."  
  
Colin looked down at his hands,  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"No! No, don't apologize, Colin."  
  
Bright stood up and walked up to Colin. Colin said,  
  
"I just.don't want you to be.freaked out, or anything."  
  
"I'm not. Honest."  
  
Colin glanced up at Bright, searching his face for signs of Bright lying. He didn't find any. A smile blossomed on Colin's face and he said,  
  
"Wanna go shoot some hoops?"  
  
* * *  
  
Downstairs a party was raging. Bright was only slightly drunk, as was the brunette standing next to him. Bright leaned over and pressed his lips to hers quickly as he fumbled with the lock on his door. The girl responded positively, leaning into him to take the kiss farther. when Bright got the door unlocked, he pushed it open. They stumbled into the dark room and Bright felt the wall for the light. He flipped it on with a grunt of satisfaction. The girl pulled back the pull her shirt over her head, then shrieked. Surprised, Bright turned around. His face turned beet red and he had to grab for the nearest piece of furniture to hold himself up. No wonder the door had been locked. Bright managed,  
  
"You could have put a sock on the door, man."  
  
Colin was as red as Bright as he reached for his boxers on the floor. He got out of the bed and began to pace the room. Bright's eyes were still trained on the bed where another heavily blushing figure was hastily getting dressed. Colin walked back over to the bed and sat down, burying his face in his hands. A comforting hand rubbed circles on his back. Sighing, Colin murmured,  
  
"I think.maybe you should go, Shawn. I think Bright and I need to talk."  
  
Nodding, understanding, Shawn stood up. Avoiding eye contact with Bright, he left. Bright said to the girl,  
  
"I think maybe we should take a rain check, doll."  
  
The girl shrugged, still staring at Colin and said,  
  
"Gimme your hand."  
  
Absently, Bright held his hand out. He was aware of a slight tickle, then he felt her drop his hand, press a kiss to his cheek, and leave, closing the door behind her. Bright glanced down at his hand. The girl had scrawled her name and number. He murmured to himself,  
  
"Beth. Nice."  
  
Then Bright turned his full attention to Colin. He sat down on his bed, across from Colin and said,  
  
"So. Shawn."  
  
Colin echoed, nodding,  
  
"Shawn."  
  
Bright caught himself before he grimaced, then said, his eyes suddenly sad,  
  
"Why didn't you tell me, man? Didn't you think you could trust me?"  
  
Colin hopped up, then went to kneel in front of Bright, he said, grabbing Bright's hands,  
  
"No! No, that's absolutely not it, Bright. I was just.afraid, is all."  
  
"C, you had nothing to be afraid of. I love you, man."  
  
Colin grinned,  
  
"Sorry, Bright. I'm taken."  
  
Bright laughed and leaned forwards to punch Colin playfully. Colin grabbed Bright's fist, his face suddenly serious again. He said urgently,  
  
"So, we're cool?"  
  
"Of course we're cool, Colin."  
  
Colin smiled, relieved. Then he wiggled his eyebrows,  
  
"So. That chick. She's hot."  
  
Bright laughed,  
  
"Yeah. Beth." 


	2. growing up

Title: Do you see the signs?  
  
Author: Liatli  
  
Disclaimer: you know the drill  
  
A/N: sorry I keep forgetting the TBC signs. But when it's the end you'll know it's the end. (  
  
Part 2  
  
1 year later, just before graduation  
  
"We're here. We made it."  
  
Amy's smile blossomed. She turned to look at Bright. She reached for his hand and laced her fingers through his, gently squeezing. Bright snapped out of the daze he was in and glanced at Amy, smiling and squeezing back. His stomach was turning in circles with nervous excitement. He looked just a little pale and his palms were sweating. Amy didn't seem to notice. Or, if she did, she ignored it. Colin was so excited, he was pacing the room, on his 9th cup of coffee, and his face was flushed. Shawn and Ephram were slouched in the corner, calm and serene, as if graduating from college was just a normal, everyday thing. Finally, after following Colin with his eyes, Shawn stood up, grabbed Colin's shoulders, and forced him to sit down. He took away Colin's coffee and said,  
  
"You're making me dizzy, man. Just chill."  
  
Colin tried to smile, but his lips wouldn't cooperate. He began to tap an erratic beat on his thighs until, annoyed, Shawn slapped his hands on top of Colin's, stopping him. Shawn said,  
  
"Colin, you're gonna give yourself a heart attack of something. Just.relax, babe." He pushed on Colin's shoulders till he leaned back against the back of his chair. Shawn murmured softly, "That's it. Relax."  
  
Shawn ran a hand through Colin's hair, soothing Colin's frayed nerves. Colin sighed deeply, practically melting into the seat. He murmured,  
  
"That feels nice."  
  
Shawn's lips curved and he leaned towards Colin to press a kiss to his cheek. Colin opened one eye to catch Shawn's gaze and smiled at him lovingly.  
  
Bright frowned, having observed this exchange. An unfamiliar feeling started in the pit of his stomach, steadily growing and spreading as Shawn returned the smile.  
  
Amy noted with a smirk that Bright's color was back. She shot a look at Ephram. A smug 'I told you so' look.  
  
Ephram only smiled and shrugged. What did it matter to him if Amy was right? Bright was her brother. Well, soon to be his brother-in-law. Oh, well. Bright could be jealous of whom-ever he wanted to be jealous of. It was no concern of Ephram's, though he couldn't help but feel sorry for Bright. Unrequited love was a bitch.  
  
* * *  
  
7 months later  
  
Colin walked in the door, dropping his duffel bag on the ground and dropping into a chair. Bright smiled, looking up from his laptop. He said,  
  
"Want a beer?"  
  
Colin nodded, his eyes already shut, and said,  
  
"That would be absolute heaven."  
  
Bright stood up, setting his computer aside, and walking into the kitchen. He grabbed 2 beers from the fridge and, walking back into the den, tossed one to Colin. He said as he took the first cold sip,  
  
"So, how was it today?"  
  
Colin shook his head,  
  
"Training is one hard mother. I can't wait till I'm done with it. Damn, I don't know how I'll last."  
  
Bright smiled knowingly, running a hand through his hair,  
  
"You'll make it, C. if it's really, truly what you want, you'll make it."  
  
Suddenly, the door slammed. Shawn appeared from around the corner. He grinned and said,  
  
"So, how's my favorite Cop-in training?"  
  
Colin grunted and took another swig from the beer bottle. Shawn walked over and took the bottle from Colin's hand, perching on the arm of his chair and taking a sip. He said to Bright,  
  
"How's school going?"  
  
Bright smiled,  
  
"Great. It's good. And your job?"  
  
Shawn grinned dumbly. His job was.  
  
"Excellent. My office is." he sighed with pleasure, "perfect view of Manhattan."  
  
Bright gritted his teeth as Shawn tossed his briefcase onto the couch and began to massage Colin's shoulders. Colin smiled appreciatively as Shawn's fingers dug into his shoulders. After a few minutes, Colin shook Shawn's hands off and stood up. He announced,  
  
"I'm going to shower."  
  
Shawn nodded,  
  
"I'll be at home. Call me later, Kay?"  
  
Colin nodded as Shawn leaned forwards to kiss him. Colin pulled away, then started up the stairs. Shawn waved to Bright, grabbed his briefcase, and left. Colin called from upstairs,  
  
"He's gone?"  
  
Bright called back, a smirk on his face,  
  
"Yep."  
  
Colin came back down the stairs, his shirt already off and his pants un- buttoned. He said,  
  
"We still on for tonight?"  
  
Bright nodded, suddenly intensely focused on turning off his laptop. Colin nodded, then said,  
  
"Right. I'll be out in a couple of minutes."  
  
Bright nodded again, then Colin went back upstairs. Bright sighed and set aside his computer. Slumping into the couch, he grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV.  
  
* * *  
  
"It's smoky in here."  
  
Bright nodded as Colin steered them towards the bar towards the back of the jazz club. They snagged two stools and Colin signaled for the bartender. Colin leaned close to Bright and said,  
  
"What time're they supposed to be here?"  
  
Bright checked his watch.  
  
"Few minutes."  
  
Colin nodded as he ordered a beer for himself and Bright. As he sipped his beer, Colin felt a hand on his shoulder. Her turned around and smiled into Ephram and Amy's grinning faces. Amy gave Colin and Bright hugs, then Bright and Colin stood, following Amy and Ephram to a table. Ephram ordered a beer and Amy a club soda. They talked for a while, listening to the music. After about an hour, Amy slanted Ephram a look. Catching the look, Bright said,  
  
"What?"  
  
Amy looked at Bright innocently. Bright squinted,  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Amy looked at Ephram again. Ephram gave a slight nod and a smile spread over Amy's face. She leaned into the table, closer to Bright and Colin. Grabbing Ephram's hand she said,  
  
"We have news."  
  
Bright looked at Colin, who shrugged. Amy took a deep breath, then said, her eyes sparkling,  
  
"I'm pregnant."  
  
Bright's jaw dropped and Colin just stared at Amy. Bright looked at Ephram. He looked so calm, nonchalant, but his eyes.Bright watched Ephram's lips slowly curve, then Ephram brought his and Amy's joined hands to hip lips. Amy turned to Ephram, smiling radiantly. Ephram smiled back, then, without breaking eye contact with Amy, he said,  
  
"Mind if we leave, guys?"  
  
Colin laughed and said,  
  
"Not at all. Later, guys."  
  
Amy said,  
  
"Don't tell Mom, okay, Bright? We're going down there this weekend. We want it to be a surprise."  
  
Bright nodded, then watched as Amy and Ephram left. Colin grinned, shaking Bright's shoulder. He said,  
  
"That's so great, man! You're gonna be an uncle!"  
  
Bright half-smiled, huffed, then said, looking at Colin,  
  
"Yeah. You're right."  
  
Colin grinned,  
  
"Let's celebrate."  
  
He signaled for a waitress and ordered them some drinks. 


	3. celebrations

Title: Do You See the Signs?  
  
Author: Liat  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill  
  
A/N: sorry, y'all. Don't know how much longer this is gonna be, but it's just flowing! The next one'll be shorter, I promise. So do y'all think the next one should be Ephram/Colin, Ephram/Bright, Colin/Bright, or a non- slash? Let me know!  
  
Part 3:  
  
Bright slurred,  
  
"God, I'm drunk, huh, C?"  
  
Colin laughed, supporting Bright as they walked to the car.  
  
"You sure are, Bright. Lucky for you I'm not."  
  
Bright smiled lop-sidedly. He reached up and ruffled Colin's hair. He said,  
  
'You need a haircut, C."  
  
Grinning, Colin shoved Bright into the passenger seat of his little Miata. Colin slid into the driver's seat before Bright could climb into it himself. Bright pouted,  
  
"Hey! I wanna drive."  
  
Colin shook his head,  
  
"Sorry, Bright. You're just a little to wasted."  
  
Bright grinned, forgetting his pout.  
  
"I am, ament I? Golly, it's late, huh?"  
  
Colin glanced at the clock.  
  
"Only 12:15, man."  
  
Bright squinted at the clock and said,  
  
"No. 2:15."  
  
"Just sit back, Bright." Colin swatted at Bright's hand. "Leave the radio off!"  
  
Bright went back to his pout and sat back, but seconds later he was asleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Bright woke up with a groan. Holding his head, he sat up slowly. Being careful to keep his eyes mostly shut, he stood up, grabbing onto the headboard of his bed while the room spun once, twice, then settled. Bright hobbled to the bathroom down the hall, immediately stripping out of his clothes and slipping into the shower, turning it on full-blast, cold.  
  
Colin sighed, walking down the hall. He heard the shower running and muffled curses from inside it. He called out, standing in the bathroom doorway,  
  
"How ya feeling, Bright?"  
  
Colin barely heard Bright mumble,  
  
"Not bright, that's for sure."  
  
Laughing, Colin entered the bathroom, scooping up Bright's clothes and tossing them into the hamper. He said, flipping down the toilet seat and sitting on it,  
  
"Do you remember any of last night?"  
  
"Well, I remember up until Amy and Ephram left.then I remember part of the car ride.how much am I missing?"  
  
Colin snorted,  
  
"Enough. Want some coffee?"  
  
Bright stuck his head out of the curtain, trying to smile. His eyelids were drooping and his hair was hanging over his eyes and he needed to shave. He looked like hell, but he felt marginally better. He said,  
  
"That would be absolute heaven."  
  
Colin grinned, stood, and left the bathroom.  
  
* * *  
  
1 week later  
  
Bright picked up the ringing phone. He mumbled sleepily,  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Isn't is wonderful? Oh, Bright, I'm so happy! Aren't you?"  
  
Bright sat up, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands he said, shifting the phone,  
  
"Mom? Jeez, it's, like, 6 o'clock! On Sunday!"  
  
Rose Abbot could barely contain her excitement. She bubbled,  
  
"Oh, honey, please. It's 8 o'clock here. Anyway, Amy and Ephram just got here yesterday and told us the news. I thought you father was going to just keel over! Oh, I'm so happy. Why don't you come and visit, honey?"  
  
"I have school, mom."  
  
Colin popped his head in the doorway and said,  
  
"Who's on the phone?"  
  
Bright mouthed 'mom' while he listened half-heartedly to his mom blather on about how life is in Everwood and about how excited she is about the baby and how she wishes Bright and Colin would come visit more often and about some stuff Bright didn't really catch. Bright had to interrupt his mom.  
  
"Mom. Mom-"  
  
"-don't interrupt me, Bright."  
  
"But Mom, I need to go! I'll talk to Colin and we'll plan a visit, okay? I love you Mom, tell Dad I said hi, okay? Bye!"  
  
Bright hung up, then laid back down, cuddling under the covers. Colin said,  
  
"Dude, we have to be out of here in 45 minutes."  
  
Bright sat up again.  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
Colin rolled his eyes and entered the room.  
  
"We've got errands to run."  
  
Bright rolled his eyes,  
  
"You sound like an old Mom, C."  
  
Colin grinned,  
  
"We have no food, Bright. And we need to go to the Laundromat."  
  
Bright stood up and followed Colin out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. Sitting at the table, he said,  
  
"Hey, when's the last time you saw Shawn, C?"  
  
Colin shrugged, occupying himself by making some coffee. He mumbled something Bright couldn't understand, then walked out of the room to get dressed. Bright sighed and followed Colin. He said,  
  
"What's wrong, C? You guys have been together for, like, 2 years, almost." Colin shrugged, pulling on some jeans and a T-shirt. He sat down on his bed to pull on some sneakers. He said,  
  
"I don't know.I just think.maybe it's time we started seeing other people."  
  
"Are you gonna tell him that?"  
  
Colin stood up, hunching his shoulders defensively,  
  
"Yeah.eventually."  
  
Bright shrugged and left the room, calling behind him,  
  
"Whatever, man. Your life, your boyfriend, your choice."  
  
* * *  
  
Bright strolled casually into the room and settled into a chair across from Colin. Colin was staring blankly ahead, his fingers laced together across his stomach. Bright sat forwards,  
  
"So? How'd it go?"  
  
Colin shifted his gaze to Bright and shrugged,  
  
"How do you think it went?"  
  
Bright gave Colin a sympathetic smile.  
  
"So, was he pissed, or anything?"  
  
"A bit. He didn't react how I thought he would. I guess that's a good thing, though, because I was expecting it to be bad."  
  
Bright stood up and sat next to Colin on the couch. He patted Colin's knee and said,  
  
"Look at it positively. You're single."  
  
Colin slanted Bright a look and said,  
  
"Yeah. Single. And lovin' every freakin' minute."  
  
Bright grinned, giving Colin's knee an encouraging squeeze,  
  
"That's the idea, dude."  
  
Bright stood up, absently scratched an itch across his ribs, and grinned down at Colin. He said, wiggling his eyebrows,  
  
"Well, I gotta go get ready. Got a hot date."  
  
Colin gave a half-hearted smile and said,  
  
"She got a brother? Or a sister?"  
  
Bright smiled,  
  
"Really?"  
  
Colin shrugged, standing up,  
  
"Yeah, sure, why not?"  
  
Bright nodded, impressed with Colin's speed of recovery, then went for the phone.  
  
* * *  
  
Colin glanced disdainfully around the palm fronds at their table. He whispered to Bright,  
  
"Why am I having sudden, horrific flashbacks of a certain Will & Grace episode? You know? The one where Leo-"  
  
Bright cut him off,  
  
"-I know what you're talking about, C. hey, why don't you just give him a chance, okay? He could have a great personality! You never know."  
  
Colin checked out his 'date' again. He turned to Bright, a note of desperation in his eyes, in his pleading tone.  
  
"Bright, he barely comes up to my shoulders. He's like.one of the Keebler elves! I mean, send me an elf looking like Legolas from the Lord of the Rings and I won't mind, but a Keebler elf? Please, Bright. Don't make me go."  
  
Bright sighed,  
  
"Okay. Fine. Here's the bit. We tell him about Shawn. But put a twist on it. He broke it off, you're real broken up about it. You thought you were ready to date again, but now you realize you're not. Hey, you're good at acting, fake some tears or something as we tell the story, okay?"  
  
Colin nodded, a hint of a smile on his face.  
  
"Okay, chief."  
  
Bright smiled, rolling his eyes. He grabbed Colin's arm and steered him towards the table. As they neared it, he let go of Colin's arm and began to rub his back as if consoling him. Immediately, Jeff, the date, stood up. He put a hand on Colin's arm and said worriedly,  
  
"What's wrong, Colin?"  
  
Bright helped Colin into his chair, then sat down next to him so he could keep 'comforting' Colin. He looked at Jeff with a pained expression. He said quietly,  
  
"I'm really sorry, Jeff, but Colin's not feeling so great right now."  
  
"What? Why not?"  
  
Colin looked up at Jeff, tears swimming in his eyes he said, his chin quivering,  
  
"It's just." Colin sobbed, turned his head into Bright's shoulder and said, "you tell them, Bright. I just cant. I cant."  
  
Bright rubbed Colin's back and said,  
  
"he just got out of a 2 year relationship. The guy broke up with him and he's really been affected. We really thought he'd be ready to start dating again, but when we got here.he just lost it. We thought he'd dried up all his tears. Been crying for days. Guess not, though."  
  
Jeff looked at Colin and said,  
  
"Oh, God, Colin I'm so sorry! Maybe I should take you home."  
  
Bright said quickly,  
  
"Oh, no, Jeff, that's quite all right, I'll take him. tuck him into bed and all.I'm really sorry 'bout this."  
  
Jef shook his head and stood up with them,  
  
"Oh, no, don't be! I just hope he'll be okay. Is there anything I can do?"  
  
Colin shook his head, looking down at Jeff, then at Carrie, Bright's date. He said,  
  
"I'm so sorry I ruined your night, guys. I just don't know what I was thinking."  
  
Bright turned to Carrie and said,  
  
"I'm so sorry, Carrie, I just really need to take care of this. Rain- check?"  
  
Carrie smiled and nodded, then she and Jeff walked with them to their car. Bright helped Colin in the car, then went around to the driver's seat. He waved to Carrie and Jeff as they pulled out of the parking lot. As they turned the corner, Colin began to laugh. He crowed,  
  
"That was perfect!"  
  
Bright grinned, checking the rearview mirror. He pressed the button to lower the roof and sped off towards their apartment.  
  
TBC 


	4. the Visit

Title: Do You See the Signs?  
  
Author: Liat  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill  
  
Part 4:  
  
"So, are you gonna see that Carrie girl again?"  
  
Bright shrugged,  
  
"I don't think so. Probably not. I'm finding that she's not really my type."  
  
Colin looked at Bright out of the corner of his eye. He said,  
  
"I thought any girl is your type, man."  
  
Bright laughed, steering the car into the driveway. They climbed out of the car, grabbing bags from the trunk. As they approached the front door, a porch light came on. The door swung open and Rose Abbot's delighted squeal could be heard, probably, for 20 square miles. She pulled Bright and Colin into her arms all at once, squeezing them so hard they could hardly breathe. Harold came to the door to see what the fuss was about and his eyes widened with happiness when he saw his son and his son's best friend being choked by his wife. He said,  
  
"Rose! Let the boys go, you're cutting off their airway."  
  
Rose chuckled, letting go of the boys. She said,  
  
"Oh, Harold, please."  
  
Not wanting to hurt her feelings, Colin waited until Rose had turned around to wince and rub his abused throat where her shoulder had dug in. Bright laughed at Colin, well used to those hugs. They stepped inside the house and Harold closed the door behind them. He reached for their bags, but the guys insisted that they carry them themselves. Bright and Colin climbed the stairs to Bright's old room. Colin grinned, pushing his duffel onto one of the beds. He turned to Bright and said,  
  
"Feels like we're home, huh, Abbot?"  
  
Bright glanced around uneasily. It felt good to be home, with his parents, but being back in Everwood put a nasty taste in the back of his throat, as well as an uncomfortable knot in the pit of his stomach. Colin sighed and walked over to bright to sling an arm about his shoulders. He said,  
  
"Cheer up, Abbot. It's only for the weekend."  
  
Bright nodded, eyeing his various sports trophies lined up on the top of his bureau, as if he had never left home. Not a speck of dust could be seen on them and they gleamed as if they had been presented to him just yesterday. It hit him how much his parents must really miss him and Amy. They had been gone for over 4 years and in all that time he had only visited a handful of times. Of course, for Christmas every year, staying through New Years, and then for some of the summer. But he had never stayed more than 2 weeks at a time. And whenever he returned to New York it always felt as if some invisible force had released the intense pressure on his windpipe. On his heart. Nodding again, Bright let Colin lead him out of the bedroom, then back down the stairs to the kitchen where Amy and Ephram were seated, chatting with Dr. Brown and Nina at the kitchen table.  
  
* * *  
  
Bright lay in bed, his fingers laced across his stomach as he stared at the ceiling fan whirl in slow circles. Colin was snoring lightly on the other side of the room, but Bright couldn't seem to fall asleep. Bright sighed, shifting onto his side to stare out the window as it snowed. The street lamps illuminated columns of the air, testifying just how had it was snowing. The cars would be buried in the morning and people would be stuck at home. Bright sighed again and just watched the snowflakes land on the windowpane, collecting into a steadily growing pile. Bright heard Colin snort and the bed creak as he sat up groggily. Rubbing his eyes, he said thickly,  
  
"Bright?"  
  
Bright turned over to look at Colin. He sat up.  
  
"Yeah, C?"  
  
Colin squinted, trying to see Bright's face more clearly. The illumination from the window was hurting his tired eyes. He murmured,  
  
"Have you been awake this whole time?"  
  
Bright nodded, drawing his knees up to rest his chin on them. Colin sighed and stood up to go sit on Bright's bed. He stared out the window, entranced by eddies of snow. Bright turned to look with him and he felt a warm hand on his back rubbing lightly. Bright sighed, closing his eyes. After a while, bright laid back, his head nestled into the pillow, patting the bed beside him for Colin to lie down. Colin complied, settling in next to Bright, shoulder-to-shoulder in the narrow bed. They talked for a while, then slowly, slowly drifted off.  
  
* * *  
  
When Bright woke up in the morning, Colin was still asleep. Some time during the night they had shifted, adjusting more to the lack of space. Bright noted, a tad embarrassed, that the position they were in could be termed 'spooning'. Bright started to move, but found that he was too comfortable and he didn't want to wake Colin. He was sleeping so peacefully, after all, his arm curled around Bright's shoulder and his face turned into the back of Bright's neck. Bright could feel Colin's warm breath drifting over his neck and shoulder and his back was warm where Colin was touching him. Very glad that they had shut and locked the door last night, Bright yawned widely, then fell back asleep.  
  
When he woke a second time, a few hours later, he was aware in a change in Colin's breathing. Bright turned and found Colin on his back now, his eyes closed, but Bright knew he was awake. Colin smiled slightly when Bright loomed over him. Colin murmured,  
  
"Look outside."  
  
Bright turned to look outside and his breath caught in his throat. Everything was pure white, glistening. The snow, even on the road, was untouched. It was beautiful. The trees outside his window's branches were sagging under the weight of the snow that had collected on them. He could barely see the top of his car, though his mother and father's SUVs were visible from the middle of the windows, up. Bright felt the bed shift and Colin was next to him, peering out with him like the night before. The snow was still coming down, though not as hard as before. Bright looked at Colin. They grinned wickedly, then scrambled out of the bed, pulling on warm clothes, then dashing down stairs. They discovered Ephram in the kitchen at the table, Amy sitting in his lap drinking coffee. They smiled at Colin and Bright as they each grabbed some coffee. Amy said cheerfully,  
  
"Morning, sunshine's. Sleep well?"  
  
Bright shot Colin a covert look, then nodded at Amy, smiling back. They sat at the table across from Ephram and Amy. Ephram said, rubbing a hand up and down Amy's arm,  
  
"Have you looked outside?"  
  
Bright looked at Colin again, they grinned. Colin said,  
  
"Oh, yeah. We've got plans for that old sled you have in the garage."  
  
Amy laughed and said,  
  
"I don't think that sled will hold your weight, guys."  
  
Colin shrugged,  
  
"That remains to be seen."  
  
* * *  
  
Bright leaned an elbow on the side of the car and, resting his head on his palm, drove his fingers into his hair. He said, glancing at Colin,  
  
"That wasn't so bad, I guess. The snow was incredible. I'm surprised we got out of there."  
  
Colin smiled, easing the little car around a bend. He said,  
  
"I had a great time. Eph and Amy were smart to fly. Think we can make it in one shot again?"  
  
Bright shrugged,  
  
"If we switch turns driving, then yeah. God, I just can't get over how happy Amy and Ephram are. And how happy they've made my parents. And Delia and Sam have grown so much!"  
  
Colin smiled,  
  
"Don't forget little Julia. Not so little anymore."  
  
Bright snorted,  
  
"I still can't believe Nina let him name her after his first wife."  
  
Colin smiled, shrugged,  
  
"She knows that he loved Julia before, but she also knows that Andy loves her now. She's okay with it. I think that's cool."  
  
Bright nodded, then closed his eyes to rest a little before it was his turn to drive.  
  
***A/N: if y'all didn't catch that, Nina and Andy are married now and have another daughter named Julia*** 


	5. Brown

Title: Do you see the signs?  
  
Author: Liat  
  
Disclaimer: y'all know the drill  
  
Part 5:  
  
7 months later  
  
Colin sat, slumped into an uncomfortable chair as Bright nervously paced the room. Rose and Harold were on their way to New York right that minute, as well as Andy, Nina, Delia, Sam, and Julia. Bright mumbled to himself and Colin watched, amused, as Bright scrubbed a hand over his face nervously. Finally, Bright dropped into a chair. He looked over at Colin, his eyes worried. His foot was jiggling nervously and his hair was sticking in 20 different directions. Colin thought he looked so damn cute. Colin grabbed Bright's hand and squeezed when Ephram came out of some swinging double doors. He looked haggard as he dropped into the seat next to Bright. Tilting his head back against the wall, he closed his eyes. He mumbled,  
  
"They kicked me out. Said I was too distracting. She needs to concentrate."  
  
Bright patted Ephram's shoulder and said,  
  
"That's okay, Brown. You can sit out here with us."  
  
Ephram glanced over at Bright and grinned,  
  
"Like hell. In 5 minutes I'm gonna be right back in there. I just.need a little rest, is all."  
  
4 hours later  
  
The whole Brown posse, followed by Rose and Harold rushed into the hospital waiting room. They spotted Colin and Bright and rushed over. Colin's hand fell away from Bright's as Bright stood up to hug everyone. Colin hoisted himself up to hug, too.  
  
3 hours later  
  
Ephram walked out of the swinging doors again, this time dressed in scrubs. He smiled, a little worn out, but happily. He waited until everyone turned to look at him, then announced,  
  
"It's a boy."  
  
Everyone let out a delighted shout and rushed forwards to hug Ephram. Colin and Bright watched, grinning as Ephram was crushed by the horde. Finally he wiggled out of the mass and said,  
  
"I'll go get him, okay?"  
  
Everyone nodded and watched him go back through the doors. A minute later, he strolled back out, but with nothing in his arms. He said,  
  
"Acctually, Amy wants you guys to go see her and the baby in the room. But, only a few at a time, okay?"  
  
Everyone agreed that the parents should go first. So Rose, Harold, Andy, and Nina set off for Amy's room. The room filled with excited murmurs as all the kids turned to talk about the baby. Colin said to Bright,  
  
"Wonder what they'll name him."  
  
Bright shrugged,  
  
"I thought they wanted Julian, but now Andy and Nina have Julia. It's too similar."  
  
Colin shrugged, smiled at Bright. Bright grabbed Colin's hand as the parents came back out. They looked at Bright and Colin and nodded. Taking a deep breath, Bright stood up, then walked with Colin towards the swinging doors.  
  
* * *  
  
Bright was in a daze. Colin laughed, grabbing Bright before he could walk straight into the door post. The baby was named Aaron and he was beautiful. He had light brown hair, a shade in between Ephram and Amy's, and grayish- blue eyes. Harold and Rose were walking ahead of Bright and Colin as they walked to their cars. Colin called out as he slid into the driver's seat of Bright's car,  
  
"We'll meet you back at the house!"  
  
Harold and Rose nodded as they located their rental car. Bright sighed, turning his head to look out Colin's window as they drove. He said,  
  
"It's so cool."  
  
Colin smiled,  
  
"I know, man. I know."  
  
"We'll go see them again tomorrow, Kay?"  
  
Colin nodded as he pulled into the driveway.  
  
* * *  
  
Colin sighed as he collapsed onto his bed. The day had been long and hectic. Dr. and Mrs. Abbot were finally settled into Bright's bedroom and Bright was collecting his stuff to bring into Colin's room.  
  
Just as Colin was dozing off, Bright came barreling in, his arms loaded with clothes, pillows, blankets, and various other items. Bright set a mug down on Colin's nightstand, then dropped all of the contents of his armload onto the floor. Colin sat up, rubbing his eyes. He peered at Bright from under heavy eye-lids and mumbled,  
  
"Shut up, will ya?"  
  
Bright only grinned and began to arrange his stuff on the floor. After a few minutes, the junk began to resemble a temporary bed. Colin muttered to Bright to turn off the light when he was done, then curled under his covers and promptly fell asleep. Bright looked at Colin, sighed and shook his head. So much for a 'boy's night'. Bright walked over to the door to flip off the light switch and close it, then wandered back over to his makeshift bed. He settled on the floor, slipping under the blankets. Bright lay awake for a while, alternately staring at the ceiling and at Colin's sleeping form. Finally, after about an hour thinking of baby Aaron, how happy Ephram and Amy were, and how he wished he would have that some day soon, Bright drifted off to sleep.  
  
TBC 


	6. reveal

Title: Do You See the Signs?  
  
Author: Liat  
  
Disclaimer: y'all know the drill  
  
A/N: hey everyone, sorry bout the delay for the last chapter and this one. For the last one the stupid doc. Downloader thing wouldn't work and for this one I was out of town for a while, so I couldn't write. Plus I just got a new job.pretty hectic. Anyway, I haven't gotten many responses to my last request. I wanted y'alls opinion on where my next fic should be E/B, C/B, E/C, or non-slash. Let me know! And for slash-lovers (not just Everwood), visit my site:  
  
Part 6:  
  
1 year later  
  
Amy circled the kitchen, hitching Aaron higher on her hip as she tidied the counters from lunch. Hearing a knock on the door, she called out,  
  
"It's open!"  
  
She heard the door creak open, then shut loudly. Minutes later, she heard booted footsteps coming towards the kitchen, then the thud of one of those thermal coffee mugs on the counter. Arms came around her and Aaron from behind and a kiss was pressed just under her ear as a warm voice murmured,  
  
"Hey beautiful."  
  
Grinning, Amy turned in the ring of arms and said, pressing a kiss to lips,  
  
"Hey handsome."  
  
A roll of eyes before strong arms grabbed Aaron from Amy's arms. Aaron giggled when he was hoisted high into the air. Then he was cradled against a solid chest and giggled again when words were whispered into his ear,  
  
"How about a great, big kiss for Uncle Colin, huh, baby?"  
  
Aaron tossed his chubby little arms as far around Colin's neck as he could and pressed a sloppy kiss to Colin's lips. Colin laughed and settled Aaron comfortably on his hip. He leaned back against the counter and watched Amy as she grabbed 2 water bottles from the fridge. She wandered over to the table, motioning for Colin to join her. He sat down next to Amy, setting Aaron down on top of the table. Amy smiled warmly at Colin as he and Aaron played with the various toys strewn across the table. She said,  
  
"So, how safe are the streets of New York?"  
  
Colin shrugged, smiling,  
  
"When I'm on duty, feel free to walk around with a purse the size of Texas down dark alleys. When I'm not. . ."  
  
Amy laughed,  
  
"So, it's going well?"  
  
Colin nodded, glancing over at Amy. He said with a smirk,  
  
"How is it, being here all day long with nothing to do but chase after this little monster, here?"  
  
As he said that last part, he began to tickle Aaron. Aaron rolled back and giggled maniacally. Amy sighed, rolling her eyes,  
  
"Not that I don't like spending time with him, but I can't wait until he's old enough to go to school. Even for half a day. . .then I can go back to teaching. I feel like I'm so out of shape. God, I haven't danced in so long. Nearly a year and a half. I mean, Sheri's doing fine, but I miss my students, my school. . ."  
  
Colin nodded with understanding. Amy tilted her head, her wistful smile vanishing. She said,  
  
"So, how's Bright doing? I haven't spoken to him this week. He's so busy now, with his new job. He was so excited, when he got his Master's."  
  
Now was Colin's turn for a wistful smile.  
  
"He's doing great. When he comes home, all he can talk about is work. He loves his job so much. It's like he hardly has time for anything else, though. I mean, it's important to enjoy what you do for a living, but it's just not healthy to get so wrapped up in it that you have so social life."  
  
Colin sighed. Amy said,  
  
"What about that girl he was dating?"  
  
Colin snorted,  
  
"Ally? Please, they went out, like, 3 times, then he practically forgot about her. She called like 6 times a day. Finally I had to dial her number, then shove the phone in his hand and dictate to him what to say to let her go."  
  
Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door. Frowning, Amy stood up to answer it. Colin followed, Aaron perched on his hip. Aaron let out a delighted squeal when door swung open to reveal Bright, grinning widely. Aaron tried to launch himself at Bright, so Colin thought it safe to transfer. He handed Aaron to Bright, grabbing hold of Bright's briefcase before he dropped it. Bright walked in, dropping a kiss onto Amy's cheek as he strode towards the living room. Colin and Amy shared a look of confusion before following Bright. They found him on the couch in the den with Aaron in his lap, bobbing up and down on unsteady legs. Aaron giggled as Bright supported him and continued to bounce around happily. Amy took the chair opposite Bright and Colin sat next to him. Amy smiled at her brother,  
  
"So, what brings you here, dear brother?"  
  
Bright grinned,  
  
"I took the day off. I've been focusing on work way too much, so I decided it was time for a break."  
  
Colin grinned,  
  
"That's great!"  
  
Bright smiled back at Colin and said,  
  
"Can you get a few days off? I thought we could go visit the 'rents."  
  
Colin shrugged,  
  
"I'll see what I can do."  
  
* * *  
  
1 week later  
  
Bright relaxed as they came onto open highway. He leaned back, letting one hand hang out the window while the other controlled the steering wheel.  
  
"I'm really glad you got the week off."  
  
Colin smiled,  
  
"So'm I, B."  
  
"You know I really think I'm starting to get over my Everwood avoidance thing. I mean, I'm a little nervous, but it's not so bad this time. I'm acctually kind of excited."  
  
"That's great! Then we can come back more often!"  
  
Bright slanted Colin a look,  
  
"Riiight. See, I'm not that over it."  
  
Colin laughed, shrugged, and turned up the radio.  
  
* * *  
  
Later that week  
  
Colin sighed hugely as he dropped onto the bed. He patted his stomach contentedly, his eyes closed and a smile on his face. He murmured as Bright flopped down next to him,  
  
"Man, B., I love your mom's cooking."  
  
Bright smirked,  
  
"You should be grateful I don't want to come down here more often. You'd be big as an elephant. What would the NYPD do with you, then?"  
  
Colin sighed, grunted as he rolled onto his side. He peered down at Bright and said, tracing a pattern on the bed-spread,  
  
"As much as you hate it, you gotta admit it's good to be home."  
  
Bright shrugged, staring up at the ceiling,  
  
"It's nice, I guess. But New York's my home now."  
  
Colin sighed and rolled back over.  
  
"You're hopeless, Abbot."  
  
* * *  
  
Back in New York later that week  
  
Bright picked up the phone, one eye still shut, then dragged it underneath his pillow along with his head. He mumbled,  
  
"Whosit?"  
  
Amy's bright, chirpy voice came through loudly,  
  
"How was the visit?"  
  
Bright growled a nasty reply, then hung up on her, sliding back into sleep.  
  
He was rudely awakened moments later by the phone ringing shrilly in his ear. Bright tossed it out of his bed, vaguely heard it hit the wall somewhere before he dozed off again.  
  
He sat up cursing, this time, when Colin came crashing in holding the phone and loudly declaring that Amy was demanding that he pick up the phone and speak to her. Bright flicked Colin off, but, undaunted, Colin bravely wandered over and sat down on the bed. Bright dragged a hand through his messy hair, then looked at Colin through sleep-heavy eyes. He stuck his tongue out at Colin before grabbing the phone and snapping,  
  
'What!"  
  
The call lasted 15 tortuous minutes before, finally, Amy demanded to speak to Colin. Colin talked, looking at Bright and grinning the whole while. Finally he said,  
  
"Yeah. Love you, too. Will do. Buh-bye."  
  
He clicked the phone off, then said to Bright,  
  
"Morning, sunshine!"  
  
Bright rolled his eyes and said,  
  
"Since Amy's not here and you took part in this rude awakening, make me some damn coffee while I take a shower."  
  
Colin rolled his eyes right back and said huffily,  
  
"A please wouldn't kill you."  
  
Bright only sent Colin a withering glare before he stood up, tossing his sheets on top of Colin, then leaving the room. Colin stared after Bright, his jaw slightly slack. Moments later, Bright stomped back into the room, still clad only in his boxer-briefs, mumbling to himself. Something about Everwood and old rooms and adjoining bathrooms. Colin laughed as Bright ran into the door post of the bathroom connecting their rooms, then slammed the door, muffling his explicit curses. Shaking his head, Colin stood up to go fix some fresh coffee.  
  
When Bright emerged from the shower, hair dripping, with only a towel draped about his waist and another one draped over his shoulders, he was much more cheerful. He entered the kitchen humming a random tune. Something that sounded mysteriously like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland. He grabbed Colin's shoulder, shaking him companionably. He poured some coffee into a mug, then leaned against the counter to sip it and grin at Colin. Colin was sitting at the table, reading the New York Times and gulping down coffee, trying to ease the sudden dryness in his mouth. Avoiding any eye contact with Bright's still-wet body, Colin said,  
  
"So, feeling better?"  
  
Bright grinned,  
  
"Hell yeah. Nothin' like a nice, hot shower to wake you up."  
  
Colin nodded, standing up, then making awkward excuses as he left the room. Bright frowned as he watched Colin walk away. Then, shrugging, he went back to his coffee.  
  
Bright found Colin in his room, lying on his stomach on his bed reading a book.  
  
"So, Colin. No work today?"  
  
Colin shook his head, seemingly immersed in what ever book he was reading. Sighing, Bright sat down on Colin's bed, leaning back against the headboard. After a minute of silence, Colin looked up at Bright.  
  
"Need something, Abbot?"  
  
"What? No! Oh, no, I'm just. . ."  
  
Colin nodded, then went back to his book. A minute later, Bright sat forwards,  
  
"So, whatcha reading?"  
  
Colin closed his eyes a moment before looking up. He held the book up so Bright could read the cover. His eyes skimming over it, Bright murmured,  
  
"Eaters. . .of the Dead. Hmm, sounds. . .interesting."  
  
Colin nodded,  
  
"It is."  
  
He went back to reading. A minute later,  
  
"So, what's it about?"  
  
Sighing, Colin rolled onto his side, then sat up. He shot an annoyed look at Bright before closing the book and saying impatiently,  
  
"What is it, Bright? If you couldn't tell, I'm kind of trying to read, here."  
  
Bright blushed a little, then looked down at his hands. He mumbled,  
  
"Nothing, I'm sorry. I just. . .nothing."  
  
"Then. . .could you find something to do, or something? Because, like I said, I'm trying to read and with you breathing down my neck it's kinda hard to-"  
  
Colin's words were cut off when Bright kissed him. A hesitant press of lips before Bright pulled away, his face and neck flushed bright red. A shaky hand came up to touch his lips and Bright stammered,  
  
"Oh, oh god, Colin. I don't know. . .oh, god. I'm sorry!"  
  
Bright stood up and hurried out of the room. Colin flinched when Bright's bedroom door slammed. He heard the click of the lock from the hall door and then the bathroom door. A bit in a daze, Colin just sat there, his lips tingling slightly. Slowly, slowly, Colin rubbed his lips together, then stood up, looking at the closed bathroom door. He walked through the bathroom to Bright's door, then knocked softly. A muffled 'what' came through, so Colin called out,  
  
"Bright? Can I come in?"  
  
Colin heard some rustling, but was disappointed when Bright said no. Colin leaned his forehead against the door and said softly,  
  
"Why not, Bright? I just wanna talk."  
  
There was no answer for a while, then Colin jumped when he heard Bright's voice just of the other side of the door. He said,  
  
"There's nothing to talk about, Colin. I'm really sorry. It won't happen again. I don't know what came over me."  
  
"Bright, don't apologize. Please, don't apologize."  
  
Bright leaned his forehead against the door, unknowingly mimicking Colin's pose with one hand on the doorknob.  
  
"I'm so embarrassed. I have no idea why I did that. I just. . .it just. . .happened."  
  
"Bright, man, it's okay. You don't need to be embarrassed, or anything. I mean, it's not like a guy hasn't kissed me before."  
  
Bright tried to suppress the little grin. He insisted,  
  
"I know that, dumbass. It's just. . .I haven't kissed you before."  
  
Colin paused, taking a breath. Closing his eyes, he said,  
  
"Well. . .why haven't you?"  
  
He heard no answer and thought Bright had left the area. Colin was shocked when the door opened. He nearly fell forwards, onto Bright, but he caught himself on the door post. Bright just stared at Colin, then said slowly,  
  
"Why didn't I?"  
  
Colin felt his face turn pink, and he ducked his head. Bright stepped back, as if admitting Colin into his room. Colin walked in slowly, then perched on the end of Bright's bed. Bright sat down on the other end and stared at Colin. He said,  
  
"Colin?"  
  
Colin looked up at Bright, trying to smile, but his lips wouldn't cooperate. They only trembled, as if he were going to cry. Bright mistook that, and said quickly,  
  
"Oh, god, Colin. Please, don't cry. Don't."  
  
A bit confused, but feeling as if he really were going to cry, Colin said shakily,  
  
"Bright, I think. . .I should be the one apologizing."  
  
Bright frowned, confused,  
  
"Why?"  
  
"A few years ago, I did something really stupid. I. . .fell in love with my best friend."  
  
When Bright only stared at him, his face expressionless, Colin continued,  
  
"Remember Shawn? How much he looked like you? Remember how I told it was just a coincidence? It was no coincidence. I had seen him at a party. I was a little bit smashed, so I thought it was you. I went up to him and called him Bright. He was really confused, but I didn't realize it wasn't you, so I was being all buddy-buddy with him, saying weird shit and he thought I was coming on to him. Which. . .I probably was. And that's kinda how it all started."  
  
"Why don't I remember a party?"  
  
"Well, I didn't tell anyone I was going to one. I was really depressed because you had just met some girl. I acctually think it was Colleen. You really liked her and. . .I guess I was just a little jealous. So I went to a party and got drunk. And then, when we graduated and we started living together, alone, it got way too distracting. I kind of. . .I don't know how to explain it. It's like I grew out of Shawn. Suddenly, second best wasn't enough for me. If I couldn't have you. . .I mean, god, couldn't you tell? I must have sent out hundreds of signals. Subtle, but they were definitely signals. Even Amy and Ephram noticed."  
  
"How could I notice them if I wasn't looking for them? I had no idea, man! Jeez, why are you telling me all this now?"  
  
Colin felt like he'd been slapped. Incredibly hurt, he stood up, looked at Bright sadly, then walked into his own room, shutting the door behind him. Bright sighed, closing his eyes and banging his head against his headboard.  
  
"Shit."  
  
He repeated it over and over again, methodically beating the back of his head against the headboard.  
  
Colin curled into a ball on his bed and stared at an invisible spot on the wall. He lay there, silent tears leaking from his eyes, unnoticed onto his pillow until he eventually fell asleep.  
  
The next morning was awkward. Colin was miserable, trying very hard not to look at Bright as he drank his coffee and read the New York Times. Bright hadn't slept a wink. He had dark smudges under his eyes and he couldn't see straight. He had stayed up all night thinking. He knew what he wanted to say, but he didn't know how to go about saying it. And he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, Colin would say he didn't want to hear it.  
  
The day went awfully for both of them. 3 people had called in sick at Bright's office, so the remaining 2 people were doing nearly triple the work. Colin had been called to a scene while patrolling. Some other officers needed back up for a drive-by they had been alerted about. By the time Colin had gotten there, chaos reigned. People were everywhere. 3 cop cars were out looking for the perpetrator, while Colin and his partner and the 2 other cops, along with 3 ambulances tried to handle the situation at the scene of the crime. By the time they had gotten back to the station, finished all the paperwork, and everything else that accompanied a case such as this, Colin could barely hold his head up. His partner had to drive him home, then help him up to the front door. Bright was inside waiting for him. Instantly concerned, Bright helped Colin to his room, then tucked him into bed. When Colin slid into sleep, Bright whispered,  
  
"It's okay. I can wait."  
  
Then he pressed a light kiss to Colin's forehead and left the room.  
  
* * *  
  
Bright ended up having to wait over a week. When he was finally able to corner Colin one evening after work, he said,  
  
"Okay, Colin. I've been waiting for a long time to talk to you. Now you're gonna listen and not say a word until I tell you that you can. Sit down."  
  
Bright pointed to the couch and, too shocked to argue, Colin complied. Bright remained standing and he took a deep breath, then began.  
  
"The other night, after the. . .incident. . .I was thinking. All night. And I had this whole little speech in my head, but I seem to have forgotten it. So I'll just. . .talk. I realized something recently. You know how, with Colleen, I could never bring myself to get close to her? And how, with any girl after that, I could never get past a third date? Except for Beth. . .but she. . .never mind. Anyway, remember Beth? Short-ish brown hair, brown- ish green eyes.I think that the only reason I could ever.get close with her was because she had the same features as you. When we were getting ready to graduate, and Shawn was getting all. . .touchy-feely, I didn't recognize what I was feeling as I watched you 2. But. . .now I know. I never really examined it before, in fact, I had forgotten about it. I was. . .jealous."  
  
Colin shut his eyes, tilted his head to the side,  
  
"What exactly are you saying, Abbot?"  
  
Bright winced at the cold tone Colin used when he said 'Abbot'. He said, dropping to crouch in front of Colin,  
  
"That I made a mistake, too. But I realize now that it's not a mistake at all."  
  
Colin dared not hope, so he kept his eyes tightly shut. His eyebrows raised and his eyes almost opened when he felt bright take his hands in his, then press a kiss to each one. Bright demanded softly,  
  
"Colin, open your damn eyes."  
  
Colin opened one, then the other, slowly focusing on his hands covered by Bright's softer, leaner ones. Bright waited silently until Colin looked up at him, into his eyes. Bright said, leaning forwards and saying softly, urgently,  
  
"I love you, Colin Hart."  
  
Colin looked away, biting his bottom lip, his brow creased. He turned back to look at Bright, who was looking up at him expectantly, his eyes hopeful. Colin fought back a grin and said, his voice nonchalant,  
  
"What? You expect that because you made a silly, beautiful speech that I'll forgive you and every thing will be okay and we'll live happily ever after?"  
  
Bright's shoulders dropped and his grip on Colin's hands slackened. When he was about to stand up, Colin said,  
  
"You stupid, hare-brained idiot."  
  
Bright flinched, but Colin continued, a smile breaking now,  
  
"Of course I forgive you."  
  
Bright's eyes widened, then he launched himself onto Colin, kissing him, finally, thoroughly. When he pulled back, breathless, Colin murmured,  
  
"You're my stupid, hare-brained idiot."  
  
A/N: okay, so it's not quite R-rated. Sorry!!! I get kinda nervous when writing that stuff. So sue me.  
  
TBC. 


	7. new lives

Title: Do You See the Signs?  
  
Author: Liat  
  
Disclaimer: I refuse to say they're not mine, because in my world, they ALL belong to me  
  
A/N: okay, guys, I swear this is the last chapter!! And, I know, none of it's rated R. I guess I just put it there planning on it being more.graphic. But now, I'm glad I did b/c so many more stories go into the normal section, that they just get lost.  
  
Part 7  
  
2 years later  
  
Colin cradled a tiny baby in his arms as Bright leaned over his shoulder, stroking a finger down the baby's cheek.  
  
Rose, Harold, Mr. and Mrs. Hart, Ephram, holding a 3-year-old Aaron, and Amy, holding a 4-month-old baby girl watched as Colin passed the baby carefully to Bright's arms.  
  
The baby was a beautiful little girl named Jessica Abbot-Hart. The woman that had carried the baby had left a few hours ago, shortly before the 'gang' had arrived at Colin and Bright's house. Colin took a second to look up at the group watching them, then, smiling, he motioned for them to come forwards. Reluctantly, Bright handed Jess off to his and Colin's parents. Ephram set Aaron down and Amy put their daughter, Amanda, into a stroller. Smiling, Amy pulled Bright into a tight hug. She whispered in his ear,  
  
"We love you. So does Colin."  
  
Bright smiled, trying to blink back tears. He whispered back shakily,  
  
"I know."  
  
Next, Amy moved to hug Colin. In his ear she whispered,  
  
"He always loved you, Colin. Didn't you see the signs?"  
  
Colin shrugged awkwardly, then murmured,  
  
"I guess I just wasn't looking for them."  
  
When Colin and Bright each hugged Ephram, then Aaron, who demanded that Bright pick him up, Colin announced,  
  
"Okay, okay, time to hand her back over to the rightful owners."  
  
Bright leaned his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. Jess was asleep in a crib in his and Colin's room. Colin was slumped next to him, his head resting on Bright's shoulder. Bright drew Colin closer, his arm comfortably nestled around Colin's waist. Colin was drawing lazy patterns on Bright's chest, tickling him ever so slightly. Bright made a humming noise in the back of his throat, then, in a sudden burst of energy, flipped over, pinning Colin to the couch. Colin laughed, lacing his fingers through Bright's too-long hair to pull him down for a kiss. Wrapped up in each other, Colin reached around to tug off Bright's sweater. In turn, Bright pulled at Colin's T-shirt, reveling in the feel on skin-on-skin, then, impatient, began working at the buckle of Colin's belt.  
  
Colin pulled away, stilling Bright's hands with his own, and whispering,  
  
"I don't want to wake the baby."  
  
Sighing, Bright got off of Colin slowly, rubbing suggestively. Colin closed his eyes tight, then grabbed Bright's sweater before he was completely off. He said,  
  
"Maybe we could just be real quiet."  
  
The End!! 


End file.
